The missing cooking skill

[Lithril]

The last time I cooked with a Dutch oven was on a Medieval event at Crecy in France.

The locals had donated a Chicken and loads of bread to each camp so we roasted the chicken in the pot and set about making a bread pudding in a bowl for dessert. The chicken came out in the early evening and I set the bowl straight onto a couple of sticks laid in the bottom of the oven hung over the fire to cook while we ate the chicken.

A little while later I checked the pudding, which seemed to be doing OK and threw a handful of sugar on the top to give it a bit of crust. I also noticed the local dignitaries wandering from camp to camp to see what we were all up to. Seeing an opportunity to show off that the English could cook too, I waited until they were level with our camp to lift the lid of the pot.

The combination of vapourised chicken fat, molten sugar and a sudden inrush of air proved to be slightly explosive. The plume of flame cleared the top of the cooking rig, nearly taking my eyebrows with it.

I nochalently replaced the lid and looking toward a very surpised delegation, gave a gallic style shrug and said "Flambé" before turning away and back to my seat.

I have to say the crust was burned but the rest of it was pretty good.

I really shouldn't read stuff like that at work, everyone wonders what I'm laughing at. Brilliant!

 

[Robson Valley]

Probably baking over an open fire/coals. It's so easy to take premeasured bread mixings = just add water and stir.
Carbs are so good in the cold. Bannock is one thing but a hot yeast bread is something else.

 

[Janne]

I have only cooked in Trangia pans while enjoying Mother Nature, simple stuff. Plus ‘baked’ flatbreads on the stove in the 12 man tent while in the army ( reward/ morale booster).

For home use there is a Czech cooking system calked Remoska. It is basically a pan with a lid that has electric heat elements inside.

Kind of civilised Dutch oven?
We have baked bread and done general oven cooking in the one we own. Fabulous result!

 

[Robson Valley]

Not too useful 23km up the Holmes river valley.
All my electrical cords are too short.

I want a camp fire and some kind of a reflector oven box thing.
The trick will be oven placement for the heat of that fire.

 

[Janne]

No, but I spoke about the Dutch Oven principle. Heat from above.

I do not know if there is such a design as a ‘reflecting heat from fire’ box for baking.

I have tried a solar oven, very highly rated by users, but prefer a fire.
Emergency in case we get wiped out by a hurricane.

 

[Janne]

Has anybody tried to cook inside the skin of the animal?

 

[Nice65]

Has anybody tried to cook inside the skin of the animal?

Tried it with a Tauntaun but it was a bit cramped with Skywalker trying to nick my Jetboil and taking up all the the space. I prefer my belltent to be honest.

I suppose haggis comes fairly close to cooking in animal skin, but not the outer skin of an animal.

Banana leaves Janne, it's the way forward.

 

[Janne]

Those I have tried. With fish, pork, beef and chicken.
On the grill, not in a pit as the salt ground water is inly a couple of feet below the surfsce.
To be frank, aluminium foil is just as good, and less messy.
Flavour? The herbs and spices overpowered the (maybe existing) banana leaf flavour. No difference.

I guess I am one of the few here that has done that?

 

[Yeoman13]

It's not exactly a cooking skill I'd like to have, but I'd really like to be able to determine quantities when planning meals for large groups.
For example if I was planning a Scout camp for 20 youth and 6 adults, I'd like to be able to go out and purchase xx chickens, xx apples, xx potatoes, xx amount of juice, xx pounds of bacon etc.
I watch some people do it and I'm utterly amazed.

 

[Lithril]

It's not exactly a cooking skill I'd like to have, but I'd really like to be able to determine quantities when planning meals for large groups.
For example if I was planning a Scout camp for 20 youth and 6 adults, I'd like to be able to go out and purchase xx chickens, xx apples, xx potatoes, xx amount of juice, xx pounds of bacon etc.
I watch some people do it and I'm utterly amazed.

The first few times you do that it's definitely a job to sit somewhere comfortable with a pad and a pencil and try and visualise how much someone will eat. You'll find you're not too far off the mark as some will eat more some less. I've catered for 60 students on a DofE training weekend plus staff and generally hit quantities fairly close.

 

[Buckshot]

I do not know if there is such a design as a ‘reflecting heat from fire’ box for baking.

yes the reflector oven does exactly that

 

[Janne]

Thank you for the info. Interesting!

 

[Robson Valley]

I think that this is what I'm after. Doesn't look too tricky to build.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Reflector-oven-for-campfires/

 

[Tony]

I think i'd like to do some more bread making as well... Breads not to hard, but tasty bread, that's what it needs to be

 

[Nice65]

Not sure if this is going to work, it's a PDF of Dutch oven recipes.

 

[Macaroon]

Works just fine, and a handy little resource, thank you